behold, the word of the necronomicon…

July 22, 2009

You might remember the infamous Chick tracts, those 1950s style comics bursting at the seams with some of the wildest ideas held only by the most hardcore of Christian fundamentalists. Over the years, they’ve inspired many parodies, which includes this invocation of H.P. Lovecraft’s sinister Cthulhu Mythos. (click the image for the full cartoon strip)

While most spoofs of the heavy handed proselytizing in which Jack Chick revels for a living, have a decidedly atheistic or mocking bent, this one is the first to go into the nihilistic horror stories that inspired pulp writers and some of the more disturbing legends about enigmatic aliens who came to Earth just before the dawn of civilization. And it might be worth noting that what’s really supposed to make the stories of the Old Ones creepy and disturbing weren’t all those ominous adjectives with which Lovecraft peppered his writing. No, the fright factor was supposed to come from the idea that instead of a benevolent supernatural caretaker, we’re lazily watched by hideous aliens who care nothing about our existence and see us as a quick snack at best.